Kirsten Gillibrand appointed to fill Hillary Clinton's NY senate seat

New York Governor David Paterson appointed Kirsten Gillibrand on Friday to fill the Senate seat vacated by Hillary Clinton, the newly confirmed US secretary of state.

12:19AM GMT 24 Jan 2009

Ms Gillibrand, 42, is a second-term Democratic congresswoman whose largely rural district stretches along the state's eastern border with Massachusetts and Vermont. She and Andrew Cuomo, the state Attorney General, had been seen as the top candidates for the post after Caroline Kennedy withdrew from consideration on Thursday.

Mrs Clinton left her Senate seat to become secretary of state under President Barack Obama, putting the decision on filling the vacancy in the hands of New York's Democratic governor.

Introducing Ms Gillibrand at a news conference in Albany, Mr Paterson said: "I believe I have found the best candidate to become the next US Senator from New York."

Ms Gillibrand, who faces a special election in 2010, acknowledged in her acceptance speech that she was a relative unknown in New York politics.

"I realise that for many New Yorkers, this is the first time you have heard my name and you don't know much about me," she said, promising that she "will represent the many diverse views and voices of the entire state as your senator."

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Ms Gillibrand also thanked Mrs Clinton and said she hoped to follow in her footsteps.

"I cannot tell you how many times she has inspired me to action," she said, calling Mrs Clinton "a clarion call to so many like me who now hope to make a difference in the lives of others."

Ms Gillibrand is considered a centrist Democrat who could win over some Republicans, but her opposition to gun control measures drew prompt criticism from the state's more liberal officials. She ran for her House seat with the backing of the National Rifle Association, which opposes most gun controls.